I'm In Love With Adrien
by kflores17
Summary: Ladybug confesses to Chat Noir that she is in love with Adrien. Chat doesn't know how to react to this. Should he pursue a relationship with Ladybug as Adrien? But what if she discovers he's Chat Noir? Chat turns to Marinette for advice. Meanwhile, the school dance is coming up and Adrien decides he'd like to ask Marinette to go with him.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Adrien couldn't stop thinking about it.

 _Ladybug had almost given up her miraculous to save him…_

Or at least, she had thought it was him she was trying to save.

Adrien couldn't believe it had been just one week since Lila (who was akumatized into Volpina) had almost tricked Ladybug into giving up her miraculous in order to save Adrien when Volpina was threatening to drop him off the Eiffel Tower. Of course, it had just been an illusion of Adrien, but Ladybug hadn't known that until Chat Noir threw his staff at Volpina, causing the illusion of Adrien to disappear.

After defeating Volpina, Chat Noir had wanted to ask Ladybug why she was so willing to give up her miraculous to save Adrien, but she took off in a hurry to go check on Adrien, giving him no chance to ask.

 _Ladybug seemed so concerned about Adrien...and it's not the first time she's worried about him while on a mission…_

It was as if perhaps… No. Not possible. No way could Ladybug have feelings for Adrien. Right? Ladybug always rejected him as Chat Noir.

 _But she doesn't know that I am Chat Noir!_ Adrien thought to himself.

"HELLO?" a loud voice snapped Adrien out of his thoughts.

He looked up from his desk to see Chloe standing there with her hands on her hips, an irritated look on her face.

"S-sorry, what?" Adrien asked.

"What's up with you, Adrikins? You have been ignoring me all day," she snapped.

 _I couldn't if I tried_ , he thought, trying to hide how annoyed he suddenly felt.

"I was trying to tell you that we need to start planning our outfits for the dance," Chloe said, a smirk creeping onto her face.

"Chloe, I already told you, I haven't asked you to the dance and..."

"But I know you are going to ask me eventually! So let's just get right to the shopping," Chloe interrupted.

Adrien sighed, grabbing his bag and getting up from his desk. "Chloe, I don't know who I am taking to the dance yet. I'll talk to you later."

Chloe huffed before turning to Sabrina to say, "He will ask me eventually. In the meantime, show me the list of designer dresses you've picked out for me to choose from."

They walked off and Adrien took the opportunity to slip out of the classroom and head home for the day.

He walked out of the school and saw his car waiting for him. As he walked towards it, a glint of blue caught his eye.

He turned to see Marinette talking to Alya, her hair so dark that it had a blue tint, much like the night sky.

At the same moment, Marinette looked over and met his gaze, her cheeks turning a soft pink.

He smiled and waved at her. She was so sweet. And she seemed so easy to talk to, but she always had trouble getting out words when he was around.

She smiled shyly and waved back before Adrien got into his car with Nathalie and his bodyguard a.k.a. the Gorilla.

As he looked out the window of the car at the peaceful streets of Paris, his thoughts returned to wondering about Ladybug. He decided that when they next saw each other, he would ask her about why she almost gave up her miraculous to save him. He remembered that they had patrol together that night, and he grinned.

* * *

Marinette put down her pencil, taking a break from her work.

"Ugh, Tikki, I am stuck! I need a dress for the school dance next month and I just haven't come up with the perfect one yet," she cried out, pulling her legs up onto her chaise and hugging them tightly, burying her face in her knees.

Tikki flew up in front of her face and said, "Don't worry Marinette. You're so talented, you'll find an inspiration soon enough and come up with the perfect dress!"

"I don't know Tikki, I'm not feeling very inspired," Marinette sighed.

"Well it's a good thing you have patrol with Chat Noir tonight. It looks like you need some time to clear your head," Tikki pointed out.

Marinette's head snapped up. Patrol! She had almost forgotten. She looked over at the clock: 11:53 p.m.

"We have seven minutes before we have to meet Chat at the Eiffel Tower!" Marinette gasped.

"Just say the words…" Tikki said, smiling.

Marinette grinned, "Tikki, spots on!"

* * *

Chat Noir paced back and forth, back and forth along the top of the Eiffel Tower. He was anxious to ask Ladybug about the incident last week with Volpina and the illusion of Adrien. But what was Ladybug going to say? Would she even want to talk about it?

 _Maybe I am just overthinking everything,_ Chat thought to himself, _Ladybug saves everyone - she's a hero. Maybe she just wanted to save Adrien because that's her job…_

"Hey there, kitty."

Chat Noir jumped, startled.

Ladybug giggled, her blue belle eyes dancing.

"Why so jumpy tonight, scaredy cat?" she teased.

Chat composed himself, a smile spreading across his face. He took her hand and bowed.

"My lady," he said, kissing her hand. "Me? Scared? No way. The only thing that makes my heart beat faster is the sound of your voice."

She pulled her hand away, but her smile grew.

"Let's go minou, we need to check on every part of the city tonight," she said.

"Wait!" he exclaimed as she pulled out her spotted yo-yo. "There's something I need to ask you."

"Chat, we don't have time to mess around tonight. I don't want to be out too late and…"

"Please, Ladybug, just a few minutes of your time," he said, giving her his best kitty face.

"Alright fine, we can talk, but just for a few minutes," she said, putting her yo-yo back in its place on her waist.

He took her by the hand to a ledge and motioned for her to sit. The city of Paris twinkled below them as they sat at the top of the Eiffel Tower, their feet dangling over the edge.

"It's about what happened here last week, with Volpina," he began.

He noticed Ladybug tense up at the very mention of the incident.

"Remember how Volpina created an illusion of Adrien?" he asked. "You were about to give her your miraculous just to stop her from dropping him from the top of this tower... Why?"

He seemed to catch her off guard. Ladybug's eyes widened and her mouth hung slightly open, but no words came out. Chat rarely saw Ladybug speechless like this.

"Well," she finally said. "I thought it was really Adrien and I had to save him… I couldn't lose him." She said the last part so quietly it was almost a whisper.

Chat tensed up. She couldn't lose him? Is that what she just said?

"Why?" Chat asked, his green eyes showing a mixture of emotions. "What's so special about Adrien?"

"Chat, I don't want to talk about this," Ladybug said, trying to put on a blank expression so that he couldn't read her emotions. "Besides, I don't want to hurt your feelings."

He cocked his head to the side, looking worried. "Why would it hurt my feelings? Ladybug…"

"I know how you feel about me, Chat," Ladybug said. "You always flirt with me and I used to always assume you just flirt with everyone, but you're always there to help me, even risking your life to protect me… You took a hit from Dark Cupid to protect me and even put yourself in harm's way to stop Timebreaker from touching me. I know that you care about me and like I said, I don't want to hurt your feelings."

Chat was taken aback. He didn't expect her to thank him for putting her safety before his own, but it was so amazing to hear her say she even noticed it.

Ladybug looked down at her feet, feeling ashamed. Chat couldn't stand seeing her blue eyes so sad.

"My lady, you could never hurt me," he said. "I am always here for you. Please, just tell me the truth."

Her worried eyes looked up at him and she let out a small sigh before she finally answered.

"I'm in love with Adrien."

* * *

Marinette regretted her words as soon as she said them.

 _I'm in love with Adrien._

What if that gave away too much? If she (Ladybug) was in love with Adrien, that must mean her civilian self knows him. Would Chat come to that conclusion? Would he be able to figure out that she goes to school with Adrien and eventually figure out her identity using that information?

She quickly pushed away the feeling of panic to watch Chat's reaction. It seemed to take a moment for him to realize what she had just said. As he processed her words, she saw a flicker of jealousy in his eyes, but it quickly faded to a strange look of surprise and maybe even, delight? That couldn't be right.

As Chat opened his mouth to speak, the panic seized Ladybug again, washing over her. She jumped up onto her feet and pulled out her yo-yo.

"F-forget what I said," she stammered. "Just go home, Chat. I can manage on my own tonight."

And with that, she swung off into the night, disappearing behind the buildings of Paris.

* * *

Chat sat there in disbelief, hardly even aware of when Ladybug took off.

 _I'm in love with Adrien._

It had taken a few moments for him to grasp what she said and after it sunk in, his first feeling was jealousy. For a moment, he completely forgot that he was Adrien.

 _You idiot!_ He could almost hear Plagg in his subconscious, laughing at him.

Then it hit him: Ladybug was in love with him.

That's when the look of shock came over his face.

Ladybug was in love with him! A twinge of joy filled him as he realized the heroine he'd been so in love with ever since he met her actually loved him too.

He sat there, taking it all in while Ladybug got up to leave and told him to go home. A number of questions started swirling through his mind.

 _How could Ladybug love him as Adrien? Did she know him in her civilian life? Did they go to school together? And how could he even have a relationship with Ladybug as Adrien without giving away his identity as Chat Noir? And if she found out he was Chat Noir, would she stop loving him?_

He sighed, his cat ears drooping. Ladybug always rejected Chat Noir. Was it because she couldn't stand Chat? Or was it because she had feelings for Adrien?

Chat finally stood up, looking out over Paris. His eyes scanned the rooftops, hoping to see the girl in red swinging from building to building. After a few moments, he gave up and headed home, not wanting to think about what Plagg was going to say once he detransformed.

* * *

Ladybug landed on her bed, dropping down from the trapdoor to her balcony. As soon as she detranformed, she heard Tikki's squeal.

"Marinette! What was that?"

"I don't know what got into me, Tikki! I trust Chat and I just...I felt like I could tell him anything...b-but it was a mistake!" Marinette face planted into her pillow.

Tikki curled up next to Marinette's head and looked up at the ceiling.

"Don't worry, Marinette, Chat won't figure out who you are."

"Probably not," Marinette mumbled into her pillow before turning her head towards Tikki, her eyes downcast. "But what if I hurt Chat's feelings? Now he knows that I love someone else."

"Chat is strong and he cares about you a lot Marinette," said Tikki. "He will be there for you regardless of whether you love him or someone else."

Marinette smiled as she thought of his unwavering faithfulness to her.

"You're right, Tikki. We will deal with it tomorrow! Goodnight."

* * *

Adrien woke up to the familiar beeping of his alarm clock and the snoring coming from Plagg.

"Cheeeeese…" Plagg breathed out in his sleep.

Adrien rolled his eyes. He was still annoyed about the earful Plagg had given him the night before.

"You were jealous of yourself at first weren't you?" Plagg had asked him, laughing so hard he burped out the smell of cheese.

"Ugh gross!" Adrien had exclaimed. "But she loves Adrien - she loves ME!"

"Calm down kid, it's not like you can do anything about it," Plagg had pointed out. "If you, as Adrien, tell her you love her too, she might end up finding out that you're Chat Noir."

Plagg's warning had haunted him all night, which is why Adrien was so tired this morning.

He slumped into his desk at school a couple hours later, his eyes only half open. He perked up when he heard a loud conversation behind him.

"Ew what is this?" he heard Chloe say.

"Chloe, don't!" It was Marinette's voice, sounding both angry and afraid.

Adrien turned around to see that Chloe was holding the sketchbook Marinette was always drawing in. Marinette looked mortified as Chloe pointed at something on one of the pages.

"Don't tell me _this_ is the dress you're planning to make for the dance," Chloe sneered.

Marinette's face flushed and her blue eyes burned. "Give it back, Chloe!" she demanded.

Chloe ripped out the page she had pointed to, crumpled it up, and tossed it into the trash before dropping the sketchbook onto the ground. Marinette gasped and Adrien could've sworn he saw her blue eyes tearing up.

As Marinette kneeled down to pick up her sketchbook, Adrien rushed over to the trash to pull out the piece of paper. He smoothed out the crumpled page and knelt down next to Marinette, handing it to her. At first, she didn't look up. She just looked down at the paper Adrien was handing to her. She reached out to take it and just then, she looked up to meet his eyes. For a moment, his breath seemed to get caught in his throat as he saw the drops of water forming beneath her stunning blue eyes. The tears made her eyes look even more blue, if that was even possible. He caught himself gawking at her and her face turned red.

She quickly looked back down at her things as the tears got dangerously close to spilling over onto her cheeks. She picked up her sketchbook and crumpled paper before rushing out of the room past Alya, who had just walked into the room.

"Marinette? What's wrong?" Alya asked, concerned as she saw Marinette rushing by.

Marinette ignored her, running out of the classroom. Alya turned to Adrien, looking angry.

"What happened?" she demanded.

Adrien wrinkled his brows and shot Chloe an angry look. Alya followed his gaze and stormed over to Chloe.

"What did you say to Marinette?" she said, coming close to Chloe's face.

"All I asked was if she was seriously going to make that dress for the dance," Chloe said, chewing on gum and looking unimpressed.

Alya went to her desk, fuming, and Adrien sat back down at his desk.

 _Marinette…_ She didn't deserve to be treated that way. He had caught only a glimpse of her design before he handed it to her, but he knew it was stunning. That's when he got an idea: he should ask Marinette to the dance.

 _But she can barely talk to me_ , he thought. _Maybe she doesn't even like me very much_.

But he felt they had become pretty good friends since he had gone over to her house to practice for the Ultimate Mecha Strike III tournament. She even seemed to stutter less around him now. He made up his mind - he was going to ask Marinette to the dance.

 _Anyway, it's not like I can go with Ladybug_ , he thought.

Marinette was so lovely and unique. It would be awesome to get to know her better. And there was no way he was going to the dance with Chloe, especially not after the way she treated Marinette.

Adrien looked back over his shoulder at Alya. "Hey, if you talk to Marinette, please tell her I hope she feels better," he whispered, since class had just started.

Alya's face softened. "I'll be sure to tell her that."

* * *

Marinette held back her tears until she was safely in her bedroom.

"Marinette, don't let her get to you!" Tikki said, sitting down on Marinette's shoulder and leaning her little round head on Marinette's neck.

"I know, Tikki," Marinette cried into her hands. "It's just so hard to deal with Chloe on top of everything else...like my feelings for Adrien, which I accidentally confessed to Chat Noir, and then homework, being Ladybug, and that stupid dance!"

Marinette tossed her design angrily into the trash can, just like Chloe had done earlier at school.

"No, don't do that," Tikki said, fetching the paper from the trash. "This is a good design, Marinette. It's perfect, it's so _you_. Chloe is just jealous, that's all!"

"But why am I even bothering to design a dress," Marinette said. "No one is going to ask me to the dance anyway."

"You never know," Tikki responded. "And even if no one asks you, you will go to that dance in your amazing dress and have fun with Alya and your other friends."

Tikki flew up to Marinette's face and wiped away one of her tears. Marinette sniffled and gave a small smile as Tikki handed her the design she had tossed in the trash. She was so lucky to have such a supportive and encouraging kwami.

Just then, she heard soft knock on the trapdoor above her bed, the one leading out to the balcony.

Tikki and Marinette both jumped. "Who could that be?" Tikki gasped.

"I don't know, but hide, Tikki!" Marinette said, climbing up to open the trapdoor.

She opened it slightly and stuck her head out through the crack. She looked up and saw a familiar dark figure.

"Hello, princess," said Chat Noir.

* * *

Adrien wasn't sure why, but he felt so compelled to go visit Marinette. She hadn't come back to school after her run-in with Chloe and it was almost time for lunch. He could tell Nathalie that he had to stay at school to work on a project and didn't have time to go home to eat. But he didn't feel like he could visit Marinette as Adrien - it might be too awkward. Maybe it would make more sense if Chat Noir just happened to be in the neighborhood.

Besides, they hadn't seen much of each other since they worked together to take down the Evillustrator and that time he had to take her to safety when the Gamer was after her.

As soon as they were dismissed for lunch, Adrien ran around the corner of the school and crouched behind some bushes.

"What are you thinking?" Plagg complained. "I hope you're not planning to transform right now, it's lunch time! I need cheese!"

"I'll give you extra cheese, okay? I need to go see Marinette," Adrien said.

Before Plagg could say anything else, Adrien said, "Claws out!"

After he knocked on the door that led from the balcony to her bedroom, Marinette poked her head out of the trapdoor.

"Hello, princess," he said, smiling.

Marinette's eyes widened. "Chat Noir?"

"The one and only," he said with a bow. "I was passing by on patrol and thought I'd stop by and check in on my princess. Although, I didn't think you'd be home...don't you have school?"

Marinette blushed and she lowered her eyes. "I...didn't feel well, so I came home."

Chat reached out his hand to help her up through the trapdoor and onto the balcony, leading her over to the railing.

"You didn't feel well? Why not? Did something happen?" he asked.

Marinette paused as she seemed to think about whether or not to open up to Chat.

"Well, there's this girl in my class and she's so…" Marinette's cheeks turned bright red and her blue eyes burned again, just like they had in class. "She's so mean, all the time."

Marinette looked down at the crumpled paper in her hand. Chat took her hand in his and uncurled her fingers, taking the paper. He opened it up and got a better look at the design this time.

"This is beautiful, Marinette," he said, his eyes soft. "The only thing that could make it more lovely is if it was worn by you."

Finally, a small smile appeared on Marinette's face. He had missed that smile.

"So, what's the occasion?" Chat asked.

"A school dance," Marinette sighed. "But I'm not so sure I even want to go anymore. I don't have anyone to go with and I'm pretty sure the guy I like is going with some other girl."

Chat raised an eyebrow. _I wonder who she likes_ , he thought.

"Princess, I have a feeling that someone will ask you to the dance, and he will be the luckiest guy in the entire school if you say yes," he said, trying to hide how nervous he suddenly felt. What if she said no? What if she was hoping the guy she had a crush on would ask her?

Marinette's blue belle eyes flashed as brightly as her smile. "Thank you, Chat," she said.

In a split second, her eyes went from delighted to concerned. He was wondering what caused her sudden change in mood when she asked him, "Chat, how are you doing? Is there anything you want to talk about?"

He hadn't really meant for this to become a therapy session, but he felt so connected to Marinette in that moment that his mouth spoke before his head processed it.

"I can relate to your situation," Chat blurted out.

Marinette's eyes looked worried but so warm, like crystal clear ocean water on a summer day. "You can? How come?" she asked.

Chat tore his gaze away from her eyes and looked out at the view from her balcony. "I am in love with this girl, but she loves someone else," he said. _Yea, she loves me,_ he thought. _But she loves the civilian version of me…_

He glanced back at Marinette and thought she looked worried and sad, but also a bit confused.

"Anyway, don't worry about me, princess," Chat said. "I'm a superhero, I'm here to help _you_."

"Even superheros need help, Chat Noir," said Marinette. "I know we don't know each other very well; but if you ever need to talk, I'll be here."

He flashed her a big smile. "I'll keep that in mind, princess."

Just then, the sound of the school bell ringing traveled across the street.

"You'd better get to school, princess. Don't let that snobby girl make you feel less special than you truly are," said Chat, brushing his gloved hand against her cheek.

And with that, he hopped up onto the railing and disappeared onto the busy street below.

* * *

Marinette came back into her room, deciding she would head back to school.

"Was that really Chat Noir?" asked Tikki.

"Yes, it was a nice surprise," said Marinette. "He was just passing by while on patrol and wanted to say hello."

"How is he doing?" TIkkie asked. "Did he seem heartbroken?"

Marinette thought back to when she had asked if there was anything he wanted to talk about. She still felt so guilty about confessing to him as Ladybug that she was in love with Adrien.

"He seemed okay," she answered. "He did tell me that the girl he loves is in love with someone else, but I couldn't tell how he felt about it."

Marinette thought back to what Chat had said.

 _I am in love with this girl, but she loves someone else._

She had watched Chat closely and noticed he seemed more confused than anything. She had expected him to be pretty upset, but maybe he just didn't love Ladybug as much as she had thought. Maybe he was okay with her being in love with Adrien. Regardless, she had meant it when she told Chat that she would be there for him. She knew all too well how much superheros needed help sometimes. Chat's visit had actually just helped her. Which reminded her, she needed to go back to school.

"Let's go, Tikki," Marinette said. "You and Chat were right, I'm not going to let Chloe make me feel bad. I'm going back to school."

* * *

Adrien's face lit up when he saw Marinette walk into the classroom after lunch.

 _Well done, Chat Noir,_ he thought to himself. He was happy he had managed to cheer her up a little.

He gave Marinette a little smile as she walked past to sit at her seat behind him. She blushed, as usual, and sat down.

He was surprised to feel a soft tap on his shoulder and he turned back to look over at Marinette, who was leaning forward to say something to him.

"Thank you for your help earlier, when you picked up my design" she whispered.

Adrien smiled warmly. "No problem," he whispered. "I'm just happy you're back."

* * *

Marinette could've fainted at that moment.

 _I'm just happy you're back._

Adrien was happy she was at school? She couldn't believe it. As soon as Adrien turned back around to face the teacher, Marinette screamed internally and her eyes got so big, Alya could practically see the hearts floating around inside them.

Alya giggled. "What was _that_?" she whispered, raising her eyebrow at Marinette.

"Only the happiest moment of my life," Marinette whispered back, giggling. She was definitely happy she had decided to come back to school today.

After class was over, she was disappointed to see Adrien rush out the door so quickly.

She turned to Alya, disappointed. "Man, I was hoping to talk to him after class," said Marinette.

"He looked like he was in a hurry," said Alya. "He probably has a photo shoot or something right after school."

The two girls walked out of the classroom and were walking down the steps outside the school entrance when they almost ran into Nino.

"Um, hi, Alya and Marinette," Nino said, sounding strange. "Alya, can I talk to you for a second?"

Alya and Marinette gave him confused looks. "Um, sure, Nino. What do you want to talk about?" Alya asked.

"I was hoping to talk to you...a-alone," he said nervously. "Can we take a short walk?"

"Sure…" Alya answered, giving Marinette a questioning look. "I'll catch up with you later, Marinette. Text me!"

Marinette grinned. Maybe Nino was going to ask her to the dance! She was definitely going to text Alya later to ask what happened.

Marinette was still watching Nino and Alya walk away together when she almost walked right into someone.

"Marinette," Adrien said, "I was hoping to run into you. But it seems you ran into me…"

He laughed, and Marinette looked up at him in disbelief. His laugh was such a beautiful sound.

"A-adrien! I'm so s-sorry," she said, feeling her face turn warm.

She quickly glanced over his shoulder and saw that his car was there parked, waiting for him. She looked back up at Adrien, curiously. It was then that she noticed he had both hands behind his back.

"Marinette," Adrien began. "There's something I've been wanting to ask you."

She felt her eyes widen. What could Adrien possibly want to ask her?

He brought one hand around from behind his back and in it, he held a single pink rose.

"Will you go with me to the dance?" he asked, his green eyes twinkling.

Marinette almost blacked out. For a second, the whole school yard seemed to spin beneath her feet and she couldn't breathe.

 _Get it together!_ A voice screamed inside her head. _Breathe and answer his question._

"Yes," she managed to finally say. "I'd love to."

An even bigger smile broke out across Adrien's face and he handed her the rose.

"Awesome, I can't wait," he said. "And I can't wait to see your dress."

He winked and then turned to walk over to his car. Marinette stood there holding the rose in shock, pretty sure that her mouth was hanging open.


	2. Chapter 2

"So, you actually went through with your plan," Plagg said, amused. "You're taking Marinette to the dance?"

"Yes," Adrien said, feeling pleasantly surprised and excited. He didn't expect to feel this way, but he had been nervous to see what Marinette would say when he asked her.

Adrien sat down at his desk at home, pulling up the Ladyblog on his computer. Plagg flew over and sat down on top of the keyboard, causing Adrien's computer screen to go crazy.

"Plagg! Get off!" Adrien said, plucking Plagg off his keyboard.

"But I want cheese," Plagg complained, looking up at the screen filled with pictures of Ladybug.

"Anyway, what about Ladybug? I thought you were excited that she's in love with you," said Plagg, making a grossed out face.

Adrien rested his cheek on his hand, his face crumpling up. "Ladybug doesn't want me to know who she really is. And she doesn't want to know who I really am," said Adrien. "Besides, she says she loves Adrien, but rejects me as Chat Noir…"

Adrien sighed and walked over to the window. "I'm more myself when I'm Chat Noir," he explained. "If Ladybug prefers Adrien, then maybe she doesn't really love me for who I am."

Plagg flew over to Adrien's side, looking concerned for once. "Kid, I think you're taking this way too seriously…"

"Too seriously?" Adrien asked. "I'm just trying to be realistic. How could Ladybug really love me? I can't tell her who I really am. I'm just going to have to let this go for now… If it's meant to be, it'll just work out somehow."

Plagg rolled his eyes. "You're such a romantic mess, kid. Stick to cheese."

"Anyway, Marinette is an amazing girl. And I'm just going with her to the dance as a friend," Adrien explained, talking more to himself than to Plagg at this point. "I feel like I can really talk to her."

Adrien rubbed his chin. "In fact, maybe I will go talk to her tonight after my patrol."

* * *

"NO WAY!" Alya practically screamed. "Girl, you better get to work on that dress! This is your chance to blow Adrien away!"

Marinette couldn't stop giggling. She had asked Tikki to pinch her numerous times to make sure she wasn't dreaming. _Adrien_ had asked _her_ to the _dance_.

"I know!" Marinette squealed. "I still can't believe it, Alya!"

Marinette was running excitedly around the room, collecting the materials she needed to start on her dress. The incident involving Chloe at school that morning was long forgotten and she was determined to bring her design to life.

"And you're going with Nino!" Marinette reminded Alya, grinning.

Alya blushed. "Well, yeah, I couldn't say no to Nino today," she said, crossing her arms and acting like it wasn't a big deal.

"So what about your dress?" Marinette asked. "Do you want me to make you one too?"

"Thanks Marinette," Alya answered. "I know you would make me a killer dress, but you need to focus all of your time on the dress you're going to wear. Besides, my mom has a dress she's been storing away for me from her first school dance."

"That's so sweet," Marinette said, setting up her work space. "Well, time to get started!"

Alya left to go babysit her siblings until her parents arrived from work. Marinette worked all night on her dress, losing track of the time.

Later that night, she heard a knock at the trapdoor. Startled, she looked over to see Tikki asleep on her desk. She quickly covered Tikki up carefully with a piece of fabric before climbing out onto the balcony.

"Princess," Chat said with a quick bow. "I didn't think you'd be awake."

Marinette grinned, sitting down on a lounge chair. "I was up working on my dress for the dance and lost track of time."

Chat sat down cross-legged on the ground, looking up at her, and smiled mischievously.

"So, you decided not to give up on the dress?" he asked.

Marinette blushed, her eyes lighting up. "I got asked to the dance."

"Oh really?" Chat asked, grinning madly. "Was it the guy you have a crush on?"

Marinette couldn't help but wonder why he was so interested. "Actually, yes…" she replied, careful not to say that it was Adrien. She couldn't risk Chat Noir knowing she loved Adrien just like Ladybug did...

Chat sat up in surprise and blinked a few times. Marinette wondered why he was reacting so strongly to all of this information.

Chat seemed to compose himself after a few moments and replied, "That's great, princess! I'm very happy for you. You deserve the best."

He reached up to find her hand and kissed it softly. Marinette wondered why he had come back to see her so soon. He had just visited her earlier that day. Maybe he had thought about what she said, that even heroes need someone to talk to, and had decided to take her up on her offer to lend an ear.

"Is there something you want to talk about, Chat Noir?" Marinette asked, taking back her hand.

* * *

There were a million things he wanted to talk about, but he felt there was nothing he could say. Honestly, who could he really talk to anyway? Obviously not his dad or Nathalie, and Plagg was always worried about cheese. He wished he could speak to Ladybug, but she always tried to keep their non-akuma-fighting interactions to a minimum. Nino was a great friend, but he couldn't see him too much outside of school.

Chat looked up at Marinette. He somehow trusted those blue belle eyes. Maybe he could open up to her a little. At the same time, he felt guilty hiding his true identity from her and talking to her as Chat Noir. But, as she had just made him realize, she had a crush on Adrien! Now, he really couldn't talk to her like this as Adrien. She could barely speak around him, and now he realized why.

He didn't know how to feel about it. Marinette was undebatably beautiful and sweet. But what about his feelings for Ladybug? He couldn't think about that right now.

"How can you tell if someone really loves you?" he asked Marinette, surprised at his own question. He immediately felt very silly for asking that.

Marinette looked a bit taken aback by his question, but then she began to tap her finger against her chin, humming quietly as she thought of an answer.

"Well, I think that if someone is willing to risk everything in order to keep you safe and happy, then they really love you," she finally answered.

Chat thought for a moment of the times Ladybug had risked everything for Adrien. When she thought Adrien's life was in danger at the hands of Volpina, she had been ready to give up her miraculous, her secret identity - everything - to save him. But Ladybug also risked her life for Chat Noir. He thought back to when she had rushed to his aide when he had tried to stop Copycat by himself. He grinned slightly, thinking of all the times she had to catch him either by the tail or with her yo-yo in order to save him from plummeting to his death, like when he fell from Robocop's flying car.

But Ladybug didn't love him as Chat Noir too, or did she?

* * *

 _If someone is willing to risk everything in order to keep you safe and happy, then they really love you_. Marinette paused to think about her own response as Chat also thought to himself in silence.

Memories came flooding into Marinette's mind as she thought back on all the times Chat Noir had sacrificed himself for Ladybug. He often threw himself in harm's way, acting as a shield for her. She thought about the panic in his voice and eyes the couple of times he thought she had died, like when she jumped into Animan's mouth when he was transformed into a dinosaur.

She looked down at Chat sadly. _He really does love me_ , she thought. Maybe he wasn't as much of a careless flirt as she used to think. Just the fact that he came looking for Marinette to try to sort out his feelings showed how much he really did care for Ladybug. A wave of guilt washed over her as she observed his distraught face.

 _Maybe if Adrien wasn't in my life, I would give Chat Noir a chance…_ She immediately tried to take that thought back. Life without Adrien? No way! She felt she couldn't live without him. But she couldn't live without Chat, either. She trusted him with her life.

At that moment, Chat's green eyes looked up at her, looking electric in the dark of night.

"Thank you, princess," he said, standing up. "You've given me a lot to think about. Get some rest tonight, bonne nuit."

And with that, he disappeared into the night.

* * *

A week later, Ladybug and Chat Noir were running for their lives from an akumatized victim. Mayor Bourgeois had gotten upset after a news reporter uncovered on live TV that he slept with a teddy bear.

"What's the big deal anyway?" Ladybug asked when she and Chat Noir came to rest on a hidden rooftop. "I sleep with a big stuffed cat and I don't care who knows it."

Chat Noir grinned. "That's why I love you, Bugaboo."

Ladybug rolled her eyes. Even though she acted annoyed, Chat could tell she didn't mind it as much as she pretended to.

A flash of light lit up part of the roof and the two heroes ducked. The mayor, akumatized into an evil king, had control over all of the police force in Paris. They were currently searching the whole city looking for Ladybug and Chat Noir. The pair had been running and hiding all evening, trying to come up with a plan.

"Chat, look over there," Ladybug said, pointing to a small shed on the roof. "Let's take shelter in there until we can come up with a way to take down Bourgeois."

The two entered the dark shed, which was filled with empty bird cages and gardening tools. Ladybug sat down on top of one of the cages, finally catching her breath. Chat sat down next to her.

After glancing out of a small window next to them to make sure the coast was clear, he turned to Ladybug. "So, my lady, how are things going with Adrien?" he asked.

Ladybug's head snapped up from looking down at her yo-yo, which she had been using to track their location.

"W-what?" she stammered. "Oh minou, please don't ask me about that…"

"Why not?" he asked. "I just have to know, what is it about Adrien that made you fall in love with him?"

Chat watched her carefully as she squirmed uncomfortably.

"I can't say too much, minou," Ladybug started. "I don't want to give away my identity."

Chat dropped his eyes, disappointed.

"But if you really want to know, I fell for him because of his kind heart," she said. "He stands up for his friends and he always does everything he can to obey his father, even if it still isn't enough to please him."

Chat wasn't sure why he felt so surprised. If Ladybug loved Adrien for those reasons, she must know him in her civilian life. Chat had begun to wonder if maybe Ladybug was just one of the crazy fan girls who claimed to be "in love" with Adrien Agreste, the model. But Ladybug seemed to know him personally.

 _Who could she be?_ Chat wondered. Obviously, it had to be an extraordinary girl. Who did he know that was as amazing as Ladybug?

The only girl that really impressed him other than Ladybug was... _Marinette_ …

"Chat! I have an idea," Ladybug suddenly exclaimed, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Chat shook his head, dazed. He would come back to that thought later.

* * *

An evil laugh echoed throughout a dark room in an unknown place before white butterflies took to the air, lighting up the room. At the center stood Hawkmoth, listening to the conversation between Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"I don't know who you are, Ladybug," said Hawkmoth. "But I know who you love, and that's all I need to know."

* * *

Ladybug let herself fall through her trapdoor and detransformed as she landed face first on her bed.

"Tikki," she moaned into her pillow. "I'm so tired."

Tikki appeared, giggling and chewing on a cookie. "You spent the whole night running from Bourgeois' policemen! You must be tired. But at least you were able to stop him."

"All in a superheroine's day of work," she sighed happily, closing her eyes.

She was almost asleep when she turned over on her back and noticed the trapdoor above her was still cracked open… and that a pair of green eyes were looking down at her.

She jolted upright, suddenly wide awake. "Chat?"

"Is it okay if I come in?" he whispered through the cracked door.

She was so confused. "S-sure?" she managed to squeak.

Chat Noir came through the trapdoor and dropped onto her bed. "I'm so sorry princess, I didn't mean to scare you. I just wanted to see if you were still awake."

"Barely," she said, scooting over on her bed so that he had enough room to sit.

Chat gave a quiet laugh. "I won't stay long, I had a pretty long night."

"Out saving Paris?" asked Marinette, thinking back to the exhausting night of fighting akumatized Bourgeois and his policemen.

"You could say that," Chat replied. He looked around at Marinette's room and his eyes came to rest on one of the pillows on her bed. He froze, his green eyes wide open.

"Chat? Are you okay?" Marinette asked, yawning. The sleepy haze was washing back over her.

Chat turned back to look into Marinette's sleepy eyes, his gaze softening. "Y-yeah yeah, I'm okay," he finally said. "I should go and let you rest."

"Okay...goodnight...minou," she said quietly, her eyes already closing as she grabbed her blanket and laid back onto her pillow.

Chat froze again, his cat ears pointing straight up.

* * *

 _Goodnight...minou…_

The cat pillow on her bed...her calling him minou...and the fact that she had a crush on Adrien…

It all made sense. His mind raced as he thought back to the realization he had come to when he was in the shed with Ladybug earlier that night.

 _The only other girl I know who is almost as amazing as Ladybug is...Marinette!_ he thought.

But could Marinette be Ladybug? His heart almost beat out of his chest and suddenly, Marinette's room seemed to be spinning. He had to get out of here. He glanced down at Marinette, who was asleep by now. He paused, unable to breathe. Was this really Ladybug, sleeping so peacefully before his very eyes?

 _I need to talk to Plagg_ , _NOW_ , he thought, quietly climbing up through the trapdoor.


	3. Chapter 3

"What is this?" Gabriel Agreste demanded, fuming.

Vincent flinched. Gabriel was not happy with the photographer's work.

Gabriel picked up the photos in which his son, Adrien, was pictured modeling. "I pay you good money to make my son and my clothing designs look top-of-the-line and this is what you give me?"

Gabriel tore the photographs in half and dropped them into Vincent's hands.

"B-but, Mr. Agreste, I was just trying out a new photographic style and…"

"I don't care," Gabriel interrupted. "You didn't give me what I asked for. You're fired."

Vincent flinched again, unable to respond. He finally hung his head and turned to leave. How could Mr. Agreste fire him, just like that? After all the years he had faithfully worked for him, photographing his son, Adrien.

As Vincent sat down on the curb outside the Agreste mansion, a black butterfly fluttered towards him before landing on his gloves.

"Photoframer, I am Hawkmoth. I can help you get revenge on Gabriel Agreste using his son, Adrien," a voice said to Vincent. "From now on, any image that you touch will come to life."

"Yes, Hawkmoth," said Photoframer. He reached out and touched the image of a dog that had posed with Adrien, which was in one of the torn photos he held in his hands. The same dog suddenly appeared next to him out of thin air, barking and growling. Photoframer gave a dark grin and turned to go.

Hawkmoth laughed, evilly. "Excellent. Now, on to find Ladybug."

* * *

"Violà!" said Marinette, unveiling her finished dress.

Alya squealed. "Girrrrrrl, it's perfect!" She ran up to look closely at its details.

Marinette stood proudly, watching her friend's amazement. Alya's eyes widened as she admired the pattern on the dress.

"I know why you like it," Marinette said with a wink.

Alya grinned. "Yes, and Adrien is going to love it too," she said, winking back.

Marinette's face flushed. "I hope he does! I was so sure he would like it, but now I'm having doubts," she said, looking worried. "For the past couple weeks, he's been acting kind of strange around me."

"Maybe he's falling in love with you," Alya said, gasping dramatically and pretending to faint as she fell back onto Marinette's chaise.

"Psht no way," Marinette said, crossing her arms. But she smiled and her eyes glazed over as she fantasized about how amazing it would be for Adrien to love her back.

Alya got up and snapped her fingers in front of Marinette's face. "Earth to Marinette," she said, awakening Marinette from her daydream. "Time for school! Let's go."

* * *

Adrien got out of his car and started walking anxiously towards the school. Plagg stuck his head out from Adrien's shirt.

"You really need to get a grip, kid," he hissed. "You've been acting weird at school for the past couple of weeks."

"Plagg! Stay hidden," Adrien hissed back.

"I'm just saying," Plagg continued. "You don't even know for sure if Marinette is Ladybug. You're just assuming! Don't ruin your friendship with her by acting all weird."

Adrien pushed Plagg's little head back into his shirt and huffed. But he knew Plagg was right. For the past couple of weeks since he had visited Marinette as Chat Noir, he had barely slept, thinking through all the clues he had missed before. He was so sure about this. Marinette was Ladybug.

Which is why he could hardly concentrate in class. He just sat there all day, frozen, wondering if Marinette was watching him. When she tried to talk to him, it was a mess. She had started stammering again when she noticed he was acting strange and he could hardly get his thoughts together when she was so close to him.

He walked cautiously into the classroom, avoiding a death stare from Chloe. She hadn't been too happy to hear that Adrien had asked Marinette to the dance. Which reminded him, the dance was just a couple days away.

"Hey, it's my boy, Adrien," Nino said, coming up and putting an arm around Adrien.

Adrien relaxed slightly at Nino's embrace. "I got the tie you asked for," Nino said, wiggling his eyebrows.

He pulled out a box and handed it to Adrien, who had almost forgotten about it. "Oh, right! Thanks Nino," he said, grinning.

Just then, Marinette and Alya walked in together, giggling. Adrien gave a small jump, startled.

"Whoah, calm down, bud," Nino said with a laugh, pulling Adrien close and whispering to him. "Dude, you've been acting so weird. Do you have feelings for Marinette?"

Adrien felt the temperature of his cheeks rise and he stammered. "I-I-I…"

"Hi, Adrien," Marinette said, walking up to the two boys. "Um, can I please get by?"

"W-what?" Adrien asked, confused. It was then that he realized he was standing in the aisle, blocking Marinette from getting to her desk. "Oh, sorry!" His face got even hotter.

Marinette smiled faintly, her cheeks turning as pink as the rose he had given her. Adrien stumbled to sit down at his desk so Marinette could get through. Nino sat down at his desk and caught Adrien throwing back a quick glance at Marinette. Nino raised an eyebrow.

Adrien noticed Nino's look and whispered, "Chill out, Nino, she's just a friend."

"A friend that you are taking to the dance as your date?" Nino asked, smirking.

Adrien sighed. He couldn't handle this. He pretended to tune in to what the teacher was saying as class began. But really, he wasn't listening to a single word. All he could do was think about the dance and how it was possible that he might be going with Ladybug after all.

* * *

Tears came to Mrs. Dupain-Cheng's eyes. "You look so beautiful, Marinette," she said.

Mr. Dupain-Cheng came up and put his arm around his wife. "She's right, you look amazing," he said, smiling.

Marinette beamed, a huge smile covering the majority of her face. She couldn't wipe it off, she was so excited. And nervous. She felt sick and had barely eaten all day, afraid it would come right back up.

The doorbell rang and Marinette skipped over to open it, walking as if she were floating through the air.

"Omg Mari, that dress!" Alya cried, throwing her arms around Marinette.

"That is one wicked dress," Nino added, standing in the doorway next to Alya.

"Thank you," Marinette said. "And you two look so great! Especially together…" She winked at them and they both blushed.

"Come on in for a photo!" Mrs. Dupain-Cheng hollered from the living room.

"Wait, mom, we are still waiting on Adrien!" Marinette answered, her stomach knotting up even tighter.

Just then, she realized she had left her purse, and Tikki, upstairs in her room. She ran up to get it, focusing hard to not trip on the stairs in her strappy black heels. When she came up to her room, she found her purse on the desk, but Tikki wasn't in it waiting for her.

"Tikki?" she called out.

"Out here," Tikki called back.

Marinette followed Tikki's voice out onto the balcony. "Tikki? What are you doing out here?"

"I like to come out here and watch the sunset," Tikki replied. "It's so beautiful, it never gets old. But you are an even _more_ stunning view tonight, Marinette!"

Tikki nuzzled up into Marinette's neck, laughing. Tikki then zipped out of sight and back into Marinette's room. But Marinette stood at the railing a few moments longer, looking out at the sunset Tikki had been admiring. "It _is_ beautiful," she sighed. She rarely took time to look out at the view.

She looked down and caught the last rays of sunlight bouncing off of a boy's blonde hair, his green eyes looking up at her.

* * *

Adrien walked nervously down the sidewalk in his black tuxedo and green tie. He finally came to a stop when he stood across the street from Marinette's house. He needed a moment to steady his breathing and slow his heart rate. Tonight, he would ask Marinette if she was really Ladybug. And honestly, he hoped she was.

Just then, something on the balcony caught his attention. He looked up, and that's when he saw her.

Marinette's dark hair flowed freely around her shoulders, looking as blue as ever in contrast to the sky, which was streaked with orange and pink. Her blue belle eyes were looking off into the sunset. Even from this distance, he could see her eyes dancing with joy.

His heart stopped when he glanced down at her dress. It was strapless, revealing her defined shoulders and collarbone. The bright red dress hugged her down to her waist, where it suddenly flared out, the skirt of the dress ending right above her knees. The part that Adrien couldn't take his eyes off was the sash tied tightly around her waist. The fabric of the sash was also red, but it was dotted with black spots.

Just then, Marinette looked down at him, meeting his dazed eyes.

* * *

Marinette rushed down the stairs, her heart pounding. She almost tripped on the last step.

"Careful, Marinette," said Alya, holding back a laugh.

"Adrien is here!" Marinette breathed out. As if on cue, the doorbell rang.

Everyone in the room hushed as Marinette went to the door and opened it. And there he stood, the boy she had just seen outside from her balcony. His eyes captivated her, looking bold and so green. Perhaps it was the green tie he was wearing that matched his eyes perfectly and made them look like they were glowing.

"Marinette," he said through his smile. The sound of him saying her name made her head spin.

He bowed, taking one of her hands and kissing it. She barely had a moment to wonder why that felt so familiar before he brought his other hand around from behind his back. He held up an entire bouquet of pink roses.

"Awww," she heard collective voices cooing behind her. That's when she remembered that her parents, Alya, and Nino were all in the living room watching them.

She blushed, taking the roses, and thanked Adrien, gesturing for him to come inside.

"You look so handsome, Adrien," said Mrs. Dupain-Cheng with a warm smile. "Now, before you all go, I need a picture!"

Marinette moaned, feeling embarrassed. She felt Adrien place a hand on her shoulder. "Shall we?" he asked, motioning towards Mrs. Dupain-Cheng.

The four posed for a few pictures together before taking pictures in pairs. First, the boys posing together and then the girls before Alya and Nino posed for a photo. When it was their turn, Adrien put his arm around Marinette's waist, smiling down at her before looking up at the camera. Marinette could feel her heart pounding so loudly, she was afraid everyone else could hear it too.

"You guys are too cute," Alya said. "With Marinette's dress and Adrien's black suit and green tie, you guys kind of look like Ladybug and Chat Noir!" She laughed.

Adrien and Marinette both tensed, then laughed nervously. "Hey, look at the time," Marinette said, changing the subject. "We should really get going!"

After the photo shoot ended, they finally managed to escape from Marinette's parents and head out the door. The four friends walked the short distance from Marinette's house to the school across the street.

They walked into the school and looked up at the lights hanging across the open space above the main courtyard at the center of the building. They were greeted by their classmates, who were all dressed up and beaming with excitement.

"Let's take photos!" Alya exclaimed, leading them towards a photo booth.

" _More_ photos?" Marinette groaned.

"You look so beautiful Marinette," Adrien spoke up. "I want as many pictures as I can get to remember this for a long time."

Marinette blinked up at Adrien in awe. He thought she looked beautiful?

They goofed off in the photo booth, taking more pictures than they even ended up keeping.

After greeting everyone, Marinette looked up at Adrien. He noticed her stare and looked down at her, smiling warmly. She felt like it was all a dream. Just when she thought things couldn't get any better, the music started playing and students rushed to the dance floor.

Adrien reached out his hand, bowing slightly. "May I have this dance?" he asked.

Marinette hesitated nervously. Dance? She had almost forgotten that a dance consisted of, well, _dancing_.

"W-what if I trip?" she accidentally said out loud.

Adrien looked up at her, laughing. "I will catch you," he replied.

Her cheeks warmed up and she finally placed her hand in his, letting him lead her out onto the dance floor. He took her hands and placed them on his shoulders. He then placed his hands lightly on her waist, causing her to blush madly.

"I love your dress," he said, looking down into her eyes. "It suits you perfectly."

Her heart beat rapidly. For a moment, she was worried by the immense pounding she felt in her chest, but then she realized she was feeling a combination of her rapid heartbeat and Adrien's.

After a few minutes of dancing slowly with Adrien, Marinette relaxed and leaned her head on Adrien's neck, breathing in his scent and sighing. She felt Adrien rest his chin on the top of her head and she closed her eyes.

 _I hope this never ends,_ she thought.

She felt Adrien sigh and his whole body trembled softly.

"This is purr-fect, my lady," he murmured into her hair.

Marinette's eyes flew open and her body stiffened in Adrien's arms. _What did he just -_

Just then, they heard a loud bang. Marinette and Adrien's heads snapped up and they looked over to see a strange man slamming the doors to the school shut.

"WHERE IS ADRIEN AGRESTE?" the man shouted.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: This is my first fanfic and I'm very much obsessed with finishing this story... The next chapter (or possibly two) will be wrapping up the story and I will likely have it up by tomorrow. Thanks so much for reading! P.S. Photoframer? I know, I'm sorry. I thought long and hard about it and it was honestly the best I could come up with!**


	4. Chapter 4

Adrien couldn't believe how natural this felt, having Marinette in his arms.

His heart was pounding and he could feel hers beating rapidly against his chest as well. His head seemed to spin when Marinette finally relaxed and leaned her head on his neck. He could feel her warm breath on his skin. He rested his chin on top of her head, cherishing the feeling of her soft hair brushing against his face. Her hair smelled like honey and flowers.

 _Is this really Ladybug in my arms?_ he wondered. It seemed too good to be true. His thoughts raced. _Should I ask her now?_ Adrien trembled and suddenly felt like he had to do something or he would surely explode with anticipation. Before he could stop himself, the Chat Noir in him spoke.

"This is purr-fect, my lady," he murmured, his voice slightly muffled by her hair.

He felt her muscles tense. She must've heard what he said.

Before Marinette responded, they were interrupted by a loud _BANG_. They looked over in surprise, and that's when Adrien spotted the man standing at the entrance to the school, the door slamming shut behind him.

"WHERE IS ADRIEN AGRESTE?"

 _What? Did he just say my name?_ he thought, looking over at Marinette with wide eyes.

They watched in horror as the man walked over to a poster that had been hung on the wall to announce the upcoming paintball tournament. He touched the image of a paintball gun that appeared on the center of the poster. A collective gasp was heard across the room as the paintball gun seemed to fall off the poster and into the man's hands.

"Oh, what fun," he sneered. He pointed the paintball gun at the crowd and began to shoot. Students began to scream and duck, running for cover. The little balls of paint splattered all across the courtyard, breaking some of the hanging lights.

Adrien growled. "Ugh, I hate paintball!"

Marinette reacted immediately, pulling Adrien through a nearby door into one of the classrooms. She looked very confused and shocked, but Adrien caught a familiar flicker of determination and fearlessness in her eyes.

"Get low and stay here," she ordered, before running back out into the courtyard.

He scrambled over to look through the window just in time to see Ladybug running through the courtyard towards the panicked crowd.

Adrien gasped. Even though he had suspected it, it was still so surreal. Marinette _was_ Ladybug.

Plagg flew into his face. "Kid! That crazy guy is looking for you!" he exclaimed. "Don't you think Chat Noir needs to do something about this?"

"Right," Adrien said, composing himself. "Claws out!"

* * *

Marinette's first instinct was to protect Adrien.

"Stay here," she ordered, leaving him in an empty classroom. "Tikki, spots on!" she blurted out as soon as she shut the door behind her.

Ladybug ran back into the courtyard to assess the situation. Students were running in all directions, dodging paintballs. She swung her yo-yo, knocking the paintball gun out of the villain's hands.

"Party's over!" she shouted. She heard a familiar snicker from behind her. Chat Noir landed beside her.

"Miss me, my lady?" he asked, winking.

Seeing Chat Noir threw Ladybug off. She thought back to moments ago when she had been dancing with Adrien. She could've sworn she heard him say _my lady_.

An arrow flew past Ladybug's face, barely missing her nose. She shook off those thoughts, focusing her attention back on the akumatized victim. He was suddenly holding a bow and arrow.

"Where did he get _that_ from?" she asked.

"I'm not sure," Chat Noir said, ducking and pulling Ladybug down with him to avoid one of the arrows. "He touched that poster over there and they just appeared in his hands."

"It's like he's bringing the images to life!" Ladybug realized, jumping back up onto her feet. She noticed his gloved hands. "I think the akuma is in his gloves!"

"Got it," Chat said, running towards the victim with his staff raised above his head, ready to strike.

Just then, the villain dropped the bow and arrow and reached up to catch the other end of Chat's staff. He spun Chat around and let go, sending Chat flying back towards Ladybug. The two were thrown back so hard, they broke through a window and landed in one of the classrooms.

"Are you okay, my lady?" Chat asked, sitting up slowly and rubbing his head.

"I'm okay, minou," she replied, jumping up so fast that her head spun. "We have to stop him, come on." She pulled Chat up onto his feet and they ran back out into the courtyard.

Ladybug gasped. There stood the villain across the yard, holding Adrien by the collar of his tuxedo.

Her stomach felt like it dropped down to her feet. "Adrien!" she cried out, sprinting towards him.

"Ladybug, no!" yelled Chat Noir, taking off after her.

"The name's Photoframer," the villain called out, laughing. "And I'm sure Gabriel Agreste won't be too happy to see that I have his son!"

Just before Ladybug could reach him, a bright light flashed, blinding her and Chat.

She blinked rapidly, trying to regain her vision. "They're gone," she cried, trembling.

* * *

Chat had never seen Ladybug afraid.

But at that moment, she fell to her knees, rubbing her eyes furiously. Chat blinked away the spots that clouded his vision after the bright flash of light had blinded him. He stumbled over to Ladybug, kneeling in front of her. He was shocked to see tears at the corners of her eyes, but they burned with anger.

She looked up at him, "We have to find him," she growled. "He has Adrien!"

Chat looked into her eyes and grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Ladybug, you have to believe me," he said. "That wasn't the real Adrien, he probably just brought an image of him to life!"

"How can you be sure?" she cried, tearing away from his grasp and getting up on her feet. "I can't take any chances, I can't lose him."

Chat felt so helpless. He had to stop her. She was going to run after Photoframer without a plan, risking her life to save an Adrien that wasn't real. But how could he convince her that it was all just a trap?

 _Just tell her the truth,_ he thought. _Tell her that YOU are Adrien!_

But he didn't want to tell her like this. He looked around, desperate for any clues. That's when he spotted the photo booth. He ran up to it, picking up one of the pictures that was left lying on a table.

"Ladybug, look!" he said, holding up a picture. "A photo of Adrien and Marinette! Photoframer must've used this to create the fake Adrien and -"

Ladybug threw open the door to the classroom where she had left Adrien. She spun around, her eyes blazing. "Really? I don't think so. I left him in here and he's GONE," she cried.

"Believe whatever you want," she said, whipping out her yo-yo. "But I'm not taking any chances. I'm going to save Adrien."

Before Chat could stop her, she swung up onto the next floor of the school and disappeared into a hallway.

Chat almost took off after her, but then he realized this was his chance to transform back into Adrien and make her realize that Photoframer had kidnapped a fake replica of him.

"Claws in," Chat said, detransforming.

"What are you doing?" Plagg demanded.

"I have to show Ladybug that I'm the real Adrien," he answered.

"Are you finally going to confess to her that you're Chat Noir?" Plagg asked, looking concerned.

"I...I don't know," said Adrien, pulling open his tuxedo jacket for Plagg to hide inside.

Adrien turned to go find Ladybug, but before he looked back up, he felt something snap around his wrists.

"Hello, Adrien Agreste," said Photoframer, standing before Adrien.

Adrien froze and then looked down slowly at his wrists. Photoframer had handcuffed him.

"Found this magazine in the lounge upstairs," said Photoframer, a devilish smirk on his face. "It's been very helpful."

He tossed the magazine aside. Unfortunately, Adrien could see it was a magazine for an athletic company and was filled with images of sports gear, toys, and, well, weapons.

Adrien swallowed down his fear, hoping Ladybug would burst onto the scene any second now. Instead, Photoframer gestured at Adrien with his finger. The fake Adrien walked over robotically and, showing no emotions, he grabbed the real Adrien and tossed him into a nearby closet.

"No!" Adrien cried out as the fake replica of him slammed the door shut.

Adrien yelled and hollered for help, hoping someone was still in the building. It was no use. All of the students and chaperones had probably found a way out and evacuated the school.

"Kid, you need to transform," said Plagg, flying out from inside Adrien's tux. "Use your cataclysm to destroy the handcuffs and then break down the door!"

"Good call, Plagg. I need to get to Ladybug before Photoframer does!" said Adrien. "Claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug sprinted down every hallway, breaking down every door and crying out for Adrien.

 _What if he's not even here, at the school?_ she thought, panicked.

"Ladybug!" She heard Adrien's voice coming from the top of the school.

She swung up onto the roof without hesitation and found Photoframer standing at the edge, holding Adrien by the collar once again.

"Oh, Ladybug, I'm so glad you were able to stop by for our photoshoot," Photoframer sneered. With one hand, he dangled Adrien dangerously over the edge of the roof.

"Don't, please!" Ladybug cried, taking a step forward.

"Don't come any closer," Photoframer hissed. "Come any closer and I will drop him."

Ladybug froze in horror, unsure of what to do. _I can use my lucky charm_ , she thought, but then quickly dismissed it. She was afraid to move at all, terrified that she would set him off and that he would let go of Adrien. Ladybug knew it would mean a deadly four-story drop to the cement below.

With his free hand, Photoframer pulled out a phone and held it above his head. "Smile, Adrien! Your father would love to see this _top-of-the-line_ photo of us," he said with an evil grin.

"What do you want with him?" Ladybug hollered. "What did Adrien ever do to hurt you?"

Tears began streaming down her cheeks as she tried desperately to carry on a conversation with the villain, hoping to buy herself some time.

"It's not what _Adrien_ did to me," Photoframer hissed. "It's what _Gabriel_ Agreste did to me!"

The villain's eyes darkened and his grip on Adrien tightened. He pulled the phone up to his face and pressed a button. "Photo sent to Gabriel Agreste," he said, a smile returning to his lips. "That should be enough to give Gabriel a good scare, don't you think? Guess I won't be needing _you_ anymore," he said to Adrien, and then he let go.

Before she knew it, she was dropping through the air, reaching out for Adrien. She had jumped after him without thinking. They were falling fast and were about to hit the ground in a matter of seconds.

 _We're not going to make it_ , Ladybug realized, reaching out one last time for Adrien.

Her hand grabbed nothing but air and she felt everything around her stand still. She closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact, taking in her last breath...

That breath was knocked out of her as something collided with her, suddenly sending her flying in another direction. She heard glass shatter and then she landed on a surface and felt her body roll over several times. She felt the weight of another body on top of her.

She opened her eyes, blinking to try to clear the blurriness she saw. As her vision cleared, she could make out a pair of green eyes looking down at her with both fury and concern.

"Ladybug, are you alright? What were you _thinking_?" It was Chat Noir's voice, sounding shaken.

 _Adrien._

Ladybug sat up, throwing Chat off of her. "Adrien!" she screamed, tears flooding her face. "I didn't reach him! I couldn't save him!"

She turned to Chat, her eyes burning with a fury she'd never experienced before. "Why did you stop me?" she roared. "Why didn't you let me save him?"

She dropped down onto her hands and knees, trembling. "N-no…" she cried, slamming the ground with her fists.

"Ladybug…" Chat said, very softly.

"Don't talk to me! I don't ever want to see you again!" she sobbed, her forehead pressed against the floor of the classroom they had landed inside.

Her sobs were so violent that they were silent. Her body shook and her mouth opened, but no sound came out. Her sobs were so quiet that she was able to hear Chat's footsteps softly approaching. She suddenly felt too weak to even tell him to go away.

She felt him kneel down beside her and place his hand gently on her back.

"Marinette, Adrien is okay," he said softly.

Ladybug's whole body shuddered. Her mind was clouded with confusion. She looked up and turned to look into Chat's green eyes, barely able to see them through her tears.

"W-what did you just call me?" she asked, her heart pounding. _He can't possibly know…_

"Marinette," Chat whispered, putting his gloved hand on her cheek. "I'm okay, I'm safe."

She heard a familiar beeping and looked down at his ring with wide eyes. His last paw print disappeared and with a flash of green, his cat ears and mask began to disappear too.

And suddenly, there was Adrien, still cupping her cheek softly, but with his bare hand.

 _I'm dreaming_ , she thought. _Maybe I'm unconscious right now…_ But her heart pounded harder, so hard that she felt the pounding in her ears.

"Adrien?" she whispered back. It was all she could say.

"It's me, my lady," he answered. "It always has been."

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE: I originally thought I would wrap up the story at the end of this chapter, but obviously I can't end it like this, so there will be one more chapter. Thanks again for reading and I appreciate all of the helpful comments!**


	5. Chapter 5

Adrien watched as Marinette's eyes widened, tears still streaming down her cheeks. The tears brimming against her blue belle eyes looked like ocean water encompassed by blue sky.

He removed his hand from her cheek to wipe away her tears. "Please, stop crying, princess," he murmured.

"I-is it really you?" she asked, looking wary.

He chuckled softly. "Yes, I promise it's me," he replied, putting one hand on his chest and raising the other. "Cat's honor."

After a couple minutes of silence, her look of shock started to fade into a smile. "Wow," she finally breathed. "I'm so _stupid_."

Adrien cupped her chin with his hand. "What? No, Marinette, you're not stupid," he said, his eyes turning serious again. His mind raced. Was she disappointed that he was Chat Noir?

Marinette laughed in between sniffles. "Yes, I am," she said. "I can't believe I didn't figure out who you were, and that _you_ figured it all out first."

Adrien cocked his head, looking confused and then burst out laughing.

"AHEM."

They both turned in surprise to find Plagg floating in the air, his arms crossed. "Sorry to ruin this _beautiful_ moment, but I need cheese!" he huffed.

Adrien had almost forgotten that he'd used his cataclysm to break free from the handcuffs. He trembled slightly at the memory. Had he broken free any later than he did, he might not have made it in time to snatch Ladybug out of the air before she hit the ground trying to save the fake Adrien.

Plagg cleared his throat again and Adrien rolled his eyes, reaching into the pocket of his tux to pull out a piece of camembert. "Marinette, meet Plagg," Adrien said with a grin. "He's my pesky kwami who loves stinky cheese."

Marinette giggled, watching Plagg take massive bites out of the camembert.

"Is your kwami charged up?" Adrien asked her, realizing that she was still transformed. He leaned over to check her earrings.

"Yes, Tikki should be fine," she answered. "I haven't used my lucky charm."

"Good," Adrien replied. "As soon as Plagg is ready, we need to track down Photoframer. But where could he have gone?"

Ladybug's eyes widened. "Oh no," she breathed. "I think he's going after your father. Photoframer sent your dad a picture of himself dangling the fake Adrien over the edge of the roof!"

Adrien jumped up onto his feet. "What?" he gasped. "He must be going to my house, then!"

Plagg burped and that was Adrien's cue. "Plagg, claws out!"

* * *

Ladybug sprinted across a rooftop, stealing yet another glance at Chat Noir.

 _That's Adrien,_ she thought for the hundredth time in the last five minutes. She still couldn't believe it. She blushed, thinking back on all the times Chat had tried to woo her and how she had shut him down every time, not knowing he was the guy she was so in love with. Despite the current situation at hand, Marinette couldn't help but smile. She was actually very relieved and beyond happy that Chat Noir was Adrien.

 _Focus_ , she told herself. _Adrien's father might be in danger. I can think about Chat - I mean, Adrien - later_ …

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed on top of the gates to the Agreste mansion. They could hear shouts coming from inside the main entrance. Chat Noir crouched, ready to pounce off the gate and into the house, but Ladybug held him back.

"Wait," she said. "Think with your head, minou. Don't make the same mistake I made."

She knew all too well how difficult it was to make the right decisions when someone she loved was in danger.

Chat looked at her and nodded, determination in his eyes. "I'll follow your lead, my lady."

Ladybug swung down, landing on the front steps. She kicked open the front doors and ran in to find Photoframer standing over Gabriel Agreste. Gabriel was chained up to a chair at the bottom of the main staircase.

"What did you do to my son?" Gabriel shouted up at the villain, his eyes wild.

Photoframer spun around when he heard the doors open. He seemed slightly surprised to see Ladybug.

"You survived? Hm, I know cats always land on their feet, but aren't you supposed to be a bug?" he sneered at Ladybug.

She rolled her eyes. "Ladybugs can _fly_ ," she sneered back, throwing her yo-yo so that it wrapped around one of the legs of the chair Gabriel was chained to.

She yanked on it, pulling the chair towards her. Photoframer lunged at her, but Chat Noir sprinted forward, slamming the villain's legs with his staff. The villain lost his footing and fell forward.

"Chat, get him free," Ladybug hollered, pointing at Gabriel.

"Cataclysm!" Chat cried out, running his hands along the chain that was holding Gabriel onto the chair.

"Lucky charm!" Ladybug said when she saw Photoframer getting back on his feet.

Something fell into her hands and she glanced down at it quickly. "A bottle of glue?" she asked, confused.

Photoframer lunged at her and she reacted quickly, throwing her yo-yo and swinging over his head and onto the top of the staircase. She had a good view from up there and looked down at the villain, noticing that he had a glove on each hand. _Got it_ , she thought.

She tossed her yo-yo once more and swung back over Photoframer's head, squirting the bottle of glue as she passed. The line of glue managed to squirt onto one of his gloved hands. The villain let out an angry growl and used his other hand to try to rub off the goo. When his two hands touched, the gloves became glued together. He gasped, trying to separate his hands.

Marinette laughed, landing next to Adrien, who was helping Gabriel get up from the chair. "Oops, sorry," she said, giving Photoframer a wink.

She jumped over and landed in front of the villain. She reached out and pulled the glued gloves off his hands and tore them in half.

"No more evildoing for you, little akuma. Time to de-evilize!" she cried out, spinning her yo-yo as the black butterfly took to the air. "Gotcha!" She trapped the butterfly and pulled the yo-yo back towards her before pressing the top of the yo-yo. "Bye bye, little butterfly."

The white butterfly fluttered off and Marinette tossed the bottle of glue into the air. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

Vincent detransformed and fell onto his knees, looking confused. "Pound it," Ladybug and Chat Noir said together, fist-bumping while looking into each other's eyes.

Chat turned to check on the victim. "Vincent?" Chat Noir exclaimed.

Gabriel Agreste turned to look at Chat in surprise. "How do you know Vincent?" Gabriel asked, his eyes narrowing. Chat gulped.

"Adrien told us all about him!" Ladybug intervened, grabbing Chat by the hand to drag him away. She turned to look at Gabriel. "You should go check on your son, Mr. Agreste. He should be upstairs, safe."

Gabriel scrambled onto his feet and headed for the stairs. Ladybug shot Chat a quick glance and he nodded back at her before taking off to head up to his room.

* * *

Adrien pulled out his phone and looked at the time: 11:27 p.m.

He couldn't sleep. He pulled up a blank text.

 _Marinette_ , he wrote. _Meet me at midnight on top of the Eiffel Tower_. Send.

He had so many questions for her, but there was also something he had been planning to do at the dance but had never gotten the chance to.

He felt a little silly, but he put his tuxedo and green tie back on. Perhaps they'd be able to finish their dance on top of the tower.

Once he was dressed, he walked over to his keyboard where Plagg was sprawled out sleeping. Adrien poked at the kwami's little round head. "Plagg," he whispered. "Time to transform."

"Are you crazy?" Plagg yawned. "It's almost midnight and we're not on patrol tonight."

"Plagg," Adrien said in a stern voice. "You know I need to talk to Ladybug."

"You mean Marinette?" the kwami said, grinning. "Alright, kid. Let's go get the girl."

Adrien's face lit up and he laughed. "Claws out!"

A few minutes later, Chat Noir landed on top of the Eiffel Tower, looking around for Ladybug. His heart was beating rapidly, and not just because of the long climb up the tower. He walked over to the ledge where he had sat with Ladybug one night a few weeks earlier. It had just been a few hours ago that he had showed up at her house to pick her up for the dance, but it felt like days had passed since then. He missed her.

He looked over and grinned as soon as he heard the sound of a yo-yo cutting through the air and wrapping around a pole nearby. The girl in red swung up onto the platform, landing with stunning perfection. Chat chuckled, suddenly unable to believe that this was the same girl who tripped at least once a day in class.

"What's so funny, minou?" she asked with a grin, whipping back her yo-yo before placing it around her waist.

"Nothing," he replied with a huge smile. "I just can't believe it's really you, Marinette."

Her smile disappeared and she stopped walking towards him. "W-why do you say that?" she stammered.

Chat's face grew serious and he reached out to her, closing the space between them. "My lady," he said softly. "You are amazing."

She looked down at her red, spotted hands. " _Ladybug_ is amazing," she said. "Marinette is just a clumsy girl."

Chat pulled her chin up to look into her blue belle eyes. "Your eyes," he breathed. "I can't believe I didn't recognize them…"

He brushed the hair away from her face to look deep into her eyes. "But whether I looked into these eyes on Ladybug or Marinette, they had the same effect on me," he said. "They always mesmerized me, but it wasn't just your eyes..."

He took both of her hands in his. "You know I was always in love with Ladybug, but I cared a lot for Marinette as well," he said. "In fact, I was pretty captivated by Marinette, but I felt I couldn't betray Ladybug."

Chat laughed and Ladybug's eyes softened. He put his hands on her waist, pulling her closer to him. "My lady, Marinette is just as amazing as Ladybug. Because they are both truly _you_ ," he continued. "You're just less clumsy in the suit."

Marinette finally laughed, but Chat's ears drooped. "I wish I could say the same for myself," he said, sighing.

"What do you mean?" Ladybug asked, leaning into him.

"When I'm Adrien, I have to hide who I really am," he explained. "There's a lot of pressure on me to look like I have it all together… But when I'm Chat Noir, I can just be who I want to be."

He looked down, unable to look into Ladybug's eyes. "And I'm afraid you're disappointed because now you can see who I really am," he whispered.

Ladybug put her hands on his shoulders, just like she had when they were dancing earlier that night. "Why would I be disappointed?" she said softly, making Chat look at her. "Who always managed to make me laugh in the middle of a gruesome akuma battle? Who was always there to take a hit for me?"

"Who was there to cheer me up when Chloe made me doubt myself?" she continued. "Who was always there to make a pun when I didn't think it was possible?"

The corner of Chat's mouth turned up in a half-smile. "Chat Noir, the one and only," she said. "I can't live without Chat Noir. I even admitted to myself that if it weren't for Adrien, I would've fallen for Chat's romantic charm a long time ago." She giggled.

"I am not disappointed, minou," she assured him. "I was relieved to find out it was you… I wouldn't want you to be anybody else."

Chat smiled. "Claws in," he murmured, his suit vanishing in a flash of green to reveal his tuxedo.

Ladybug gasped and then burst out laughing. "What's so funny, LB?" Adrien grinned, raising an eyebrow.

"Spots off," she said. Her spotted suit disappeared, and there she stood in her red dress with the spotted sash. Adrien's breath caught, taken aback again by how stunning she looked. Then he laughed too.

"Well then, princess," he said. "It looks like we will be able to finish our dance after all."

She wrapped her arms around his neck and he placed his hands on her waist. Her heart beating against his chest felt so familiar and comforting. He looked down into her eyes and decided he would finally do what he'd been wanting to do ever since the day he fell in love with the girl with the blue belle eyes.

He moved his hands up to her face, cupping her cheeks. He heard her take in a quick breath as he leaned in, placing his lips on hers.

She melted into his body, moving one of her hands up into his hair. He ran his fingers back from her face into her loose hair, admiring the feel of every strand. After a few moments, their lips parted and they took a moment to take in a few breaths of air. Marinette sighed, her eyes still closed and a smile on her face.

"I love you, Marinette," Adrien said softly.

Marinette's eyes fluttered open. "I love you too," she said, and then she pulled him back towards her, taking his bottom lip in between hers.

And so they danced, unaware of their kwamis who were sitting nearby, watching them with huge smiles.

The night sky swallowed them up and the city of Paris glowed beneath them.

* * *

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE:** **It's pretty cool to read this final scene while listening to "In The Rain - 20 Minute Version - Miraculous Ladybug" on YouTube.**

 **It was so hard to end this story. I hope to maybe write a sequel fanfic sometime in the next couple of months. Thank you to everyone who took the time to read it. I hope it helps you get by until season 2! I know it's helped me take my mind off of the agonizing wait.**


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